James w



(No Model.)

J. W. HAMMBTT.

Fence.

No. 228,891. Patented June 15,1880.

QL|THOGRAPHER. WASHxNGfON. D C4 UNITED STATES EEicE.

ATENT FENCE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 228,891, dated June 15, 1880.

Application filed April 1, 1880.

To all whom it 'may concern:

Be it known that l, JAMES W. HAMMETT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Willow Island, in the county of Pleasants and State otl West Virginia, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Fences; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to -letters or figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

Figure l is a perspective view of one panel of a fence having my improvements embodied therein, showing` the posts or anchors in the earth, the swinging bars or arms pivoted thereto, afoundat-ion-timber, upon which the vertical portion rests, posts, and caps for holding the foundation-timbers in place and the rails in position. Fig. 2 is an end eleva tion, showing the position of the parts above enumerated; and Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one of the anchors.

Corresponding letters denote like parts in all of the figures.

.This invention relates to fences the panels of which are connected with each otherin their construction and operation, my object being to provide a fence all of which shall have a swinging movement of the parts, which are designed to prevent animals from passing beyond certain limits7 and that is adapted to be placed upon rough ground, and especially upon the sides of hills or upon the edges of terraces and banks; and to this end it consists of anchors to be secured in the earth, to which are pivoted swinging bars placed at or nearly at right angles to the panels; and it further consists in combining with the anchors and the swinging bars the posts and rails which constitute the panels; and, further, in combining with the swinging panels a foundation-timber, for the purpose of supporting the parts above enumerated and arresting and retaining stones, earth, or other substances that may be brought into contact with it, as will be more fully described hereinafter.

In constructing a panel for a fence with my improvements embodied therein I employ an (No model.)

anchor, A, made of wood or any other suitable material, it having a pin, A', passing through it, or being otherwise provided for the reception of stones or other heavy material for holding it firmly in the earth. This anchor is placed in a hole formed in the earth in any suitable location-as,for instance, when the panel or fence is to be placed upon the edge of a terrace or bank, theanchor is placed far enough back therefrom to be in the solid earth, and in any event it is to have its upper end prepared to receive the end of a swinging bar, B, one end ot' which isl to be pivoted thereto. The bars B, of which there are two for each panel, extend from their pivotal points for any distance that may be required for the particular position in which they are to be placed, at or nearly at a right angle to the panel, their outer or free ends resting upon the hed-piece O, to which they are secured, or upon which they are held, by the posts or stiles D, the office of this bed-piece being to form a foundation upon which the panel can rest, and at the same time, when the fence is placed upon the side of a hill or upon the slope of a terrace, bank, or embankment, to act as a stop and arrest the movements ot any stones, earth, or other substance that may be carried into contact with it, and thus be made instrumentalin building up a permanent fence or terrace, which will in time become ot' sut'- cient height to prevent the passage of animals, at the same time that it is preventing the deposit of the material upon valuable land below.

Near the outer or free ends of the swinging bars B posts D D are secured in such a manner as to extend through and below said bars far enough to admit ot' the bed-piece B being tirmly attached thereto.

From the upper surface of the swinging bars the posts D D extend upward for any distance required by the height of the fence, their upper ends being supplied with caps D', which serve as a means oi' preventing them from being spread apart.

Passing into holes formed in the posts D, and extending from one to the other, are rods or pins D2, upon which the ends ot' the rails or boards E E, which constitute a portion of the panel, rest, said rails being united at their centers, or at suitable points, by means ot' a cleat, E', secured thereto by nails, screws7 or pins.

Should it become necessary or desirable at any time to place the bed-piece G at a considerable distance from the ends oi' the swinging bars, it may be detached from the posts D D and carried to the proper point and be secured in place by means of the pins F F, or by bolts passing through the parts.

Some of the advantages arising from this method of constructing a fence not previously referred to are that it is cheap in its first cost, is well adapted for use upon steep banks or hills, the panel, under such circumstances7 always maintaining a vertical position, thus rendering it more difficult for animals to jump over it when it is thus placed than when upon level ground. It secures rmness of position, owing to the fact that the anchors can always beplaced in tirm ground 5 and, finally, it can be easily removed from one place to another by raising the anchors out of the earth and transferring the panels to the desired positions.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

' l. The anchors A, secured in the earth at a distance from the panel ot' the fence, in combination with swinging bars for allowing the panel to assume a vertical position when the fence is placed upon a slope, substantially as set forth.

2. In combination with a swinging panel fence, the foundation-timber C, it being arranged to operate substantially as and for the purpose specilied.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES W. HAMMETT.

Witnesses:

GEO. W. MEANOR, A. V. L. IMLAY. 

